Sharapova Thinks Wimbledon Should Allow Non-White Clothing

Tennis player Maria Sharapova in a special cover story for ESPN THE MAGAZINE writes Wimbledon every two or three years "should let us wear something besides white." Sharapova: "It would add a spark of fun to a very traditional place. Of course, style has its limits." Sharapova also proposes the creation of a committee to "approve all outfits before players could wear them on the court." Sharapova: "There are some tacky outfits out there!" (ESPN THE MAGAZINE, 6/29 issue). Sharapova said she has her "own design team at Nike that works" with her to design on-court outfits. Sharapova: "I have six pinnacle outfits a year with four of them showcased at the grand slams. I love the process; last year we had about 30 design meetings and fittings." She added that the U.S. Open, not Wimbledon, has the "highest fashion stakes." Sharapova: "Under the floodlights, the centre court becomes my own catwalk. Plus, New York fashion week runs at the same time as the Open, so Anna Wintour is often there too" (LONDON TIMES, 6/24).

FASHION WEEK: REUTERS' Sonia Oxley noted there has been "much discussion about the merits of women's tennis," and treating Wimbledon like "London Fashion Week simply adds weight to the view that the ladies' game is a fluffy waste of space." But it is "not just the women who have caught the bug and perhaps we should be grateful that the players even bother about their appearance." There are "few men who could sling a gold and white bag casually over their shoulder and not look daft," and Roger Federer, who unveiled the bag Monday, is "not one of them." Oxley: "What is he thinking? The blazer a few years ago just about passed for dapper, the RF logo is a good marketing tool but this year's military-style jacket and the bizarre waistcoat are the kind of items better suited to the fancy dress box" (REUTERS, 6/23). SI.com's Jon Wertheim wrote of Federer, "The man can play tennis, but he could stand to work on his accessorizing" (SI.com, 6/23). N.Y. MAGAZINE's Amy Odell wrote the outfit is "strange," but Federer has "merely figured out what many a diva before him has known for years: Nothing says 'Look at me!' quite like an all-white suit with shiny gold accents." Odell: "What Federer's outfit may lack in game, it makes up for in soul" (NYMAG.com, 6/23).

Djokovic Brings Serbia Open
Candy Bar To ESPN Interview

WE LOVE SHORT SHORTS: Andy Murray at Wimbledon debuted a new retro outfit from Fred Perry, and ESPN's Pam Shriver yesterday during Murray's first-round match against Robert Kendrick said, "I like the short shorts." ESPN's Darren Cahill responded, "You like that? He's actually showing a little bit of thigh." Shriver: "It's the first time in years we've seen any leg" ("Wimbledon," ESPN2, 6/23).

DJOKERS WILD: Novak Djokovic following his second-round match today was interviewed by ESPN, and the net's Patrick McEnroe held up a candy bar from the Serbia Open, which Djokovic's family "helped put that together." McEnroe began eating the candy bar and Djokovic said, "You've never tried anything similar to that." McEnroe said the bar was "pretty tasty." Djokovic: "I'm going to supply you each day with that. My uncle, which is the Tournament Director of the Serbia Open, brought from Serbia a bunch of those candies." McEnroe noted that Djokovic also had his own branded water at the Serbia Open. Djokovic: "I was feeling for the players who were playing at the event because everything was 'Novak, Novak'" ("Wimbledon," ESPN2, 6/24).